Obviously I have no real idea, but I'm very impressed with your sleuthing abilities, Nicole! I just googled aspirin and tartrazine and a number of hits come up (including various studies) so obviously there is a connection.

I knew that tartrazine was a problem for some people, but I didn't realize there could also be related aspirin problem ...

Karen, I think it's my job training as a translator! I sometimes have to search terms that are very obscure and you become very efficient at researching.

Now I could be totally wrong about this whole thing and the allergist might look at me like I have 3 heads, but it's worth a try at this point.

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Nicole, I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's reaction! I never heard that aspirin allergy could be linked with tartrazine, but you know, I bet that was it! Aspirin is going to be a heck of a lot easier to avoid than tartrazine . . .

Wow Karen, I'll know who to go to for help if I ever have to translate a text on food allergies!!

Helen, thanks for your concern. I was able to move my dd's appt to this Tuesday, so I'll know then if my lead is valid. I could be totally off track, but we need to find out asap in my opinion. My daughter is scared and I can't blame her.

Another thing is that she did have Kraft dinner that afternoon, around 2 p.m. and guess what gives it that lovely bright orange colour? Tartrazine. But she's had Kraft Dinner in the past 6 months, and I'm sure other products containing tartrazine, so who knows?

Oh boy, that would be tragic if my kids had to stop having K.D.! They love it so much that they would eat it everyday, but I restrict it to about once a month, because I personnally think it's gross. When the kids were small and in their picky eater stage, it was one of the few things they would gobble up.

I think tartrazine will be fairly easy to avoid, just don't eat yellow fake food!!

Kidding aside, I hope we get an answer soon. I'll keep you posted.

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

You said your daughter reacted slightly to coconut on the skin test? I think most movie theater oil is coconut. My daughter had a piece of movie popcorn (daddy did it and got in BIG trouble from mommy!) and had a rash after. That was the last rashy incident which made me suspect coconut may be a problem for her.

I got all the ingredients from the theatre and the oil they use is canola oil. The only allergen was dairy (the butter flavour). There was also tartrazine, which they called an "ingredient of consumer concern" rather than an allergen.

We'll hopefully find out more today at our appt.

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Well, my dd had her appt. today. The doctor repeated all her skin tests plus a bunch more including the ingredients that were in the popcorn, as well as cottonseed oil and whatever else she could think of. Nothing. Not one reaction. Dr. Waserman is at a bit of a loss, so we are being referred to a colleague in Toronto who specializes more in anaphylaxis.

She said it could be idiopathic (which means it can't be explained), but for now, she wants my daughter to keep carrying an epi-pen, avoid peanuts, all nuts and corn. She didn't seem to think that tartrazine could cause a reaction (they have done studies that were inconclusive) but it doesn't mean that it can't.

So we're still living in limbo and who knows, we may never have an explanation for this.

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Hi Nicole, How baffling this is. I'm sure you just don't know what to think. It is so hard to know what to avoid when you are unable to identify the allergen. I've been wondering if there might have been some sort of cross-contamination of the popcorn with your daughter's allergen - much like the cross contamination of the french fries ordered by Sabrina Shannon. Or maybe your daughter's hands came in contact with her allergen while seated in the theatre. (This type of contact is much like the occurence with my son when he was sitting in the grocery cart and then put his hands in his mouth, followed by my need to administer the Epipen.) But, you don't know what the allergen is! How difficult this must be for you. I hope Dr. Waserman's colleague can give you the much needed information you need in order to avoid your daughter's allergen.

How disappointing that you don't have an answer! Your daughter must be scared.

My Allergist was at a loss with my mystery reactions a couple of years ago, and while I was "labelled" as idiopathic, he told me it would probably turn out to be something very obscure.

After keeping a very thorough food diary (and including soaps, deodorant, shampoo, skincare/makeup products and everything else that went on my skin or into my body), yellow dye and sulfites emerged as the culprits. My Pharmacist was the key in determining the yellow dye, as I had several reactions to meds I had taken safely before. She began checking all the excipients for me.

Try to record anything your daughter might have used on the day she had her reactions. Shampoo ingredients, perfume, new makeup, soaps, suncreens, vitamins, candy, anything you can think of...it may not be significant now, but if her reactions continue the cause may become apparent.

I even scared my poor OB/GYN by reacting to 1% lidocaine (in saline). He was doing an internal ultrasound to look for fibroids and used lidocaine to so he could take biopsies. I started the flushing and tight throat, and he stopped the procedure immediately. Of course he had an allergy kit in his office, but an OB/GYN does not have to use this very often. Poor guy. He was more flustered than I was! After this, my Allergist said,"I wonder if you're reacting to sulfites?" A tiny amt of sulfite is used in lidocaine. This was confirmed after a couple more reactions to known sulfite products.

It's a guessing game if it isn't something obvious. Really makes you question everything.
Hope you'll find the answer out without any more reactions.

Thank you for your posts. My daughter and I are coping fairly well, because really, you can't live in constant fear. I think when she realized that the epi-pen didn't hurt (she's a bit afraid of needles), that made her braver and if there is a next time, she won't hesitate to use it. She saw how fast the epinephrine acted so she knows she can count on that.

Julie, cross-contamination is of course quite possible, the question is what?

Daisy, what kind of yellow dye are you allergic to? Is it FD & C no. 5? Because that is in fact tartrazine and as I mentioned, it's on my list of suspects. The doctor said that they have done extensive studies of it and the results were inconclusive but that it doesn't mean that it can't happen. Daisy, are you also allergic to aspirin?

This is what the new doctor will hopefully determine.

It is quite possible that it is "idiopathic". I have been reading up on it and there are a lot of cases of idiopathic anaphylaxis out there. It is usually diagnosed after extensive tests to rule out any possible allergens.

There is also the fact that she is a teenager and hormones could be playing a role in all this.

Note to Karen: If you want, you can move this thread under "Other allergic topics", as it is likely not a peanut allergy.

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Nicole, I am currently reading a book on allergies. I came across a part on tartrazine which is yellow #5 (also natural colors...made from coal tar extract which is carbon based so considered "natural" ) This is from the book:

Quote:

Most food dyes are known carcinogens. They are also potential allergens......The chemical structure of Yellow #5 is nearly identical to that of asprin. People who are allergic to asprin may also be allergic to this dye.

My youngest was covered in hives after playing with playdoh with red food coloring. Thats when I looked into what on earth they are and was quite stunned. We try to avoid them as much as possible even though there is no "confirmed" allergy.

Keep in mind that anything colored orange, green, brown can also contain tartrazine in addition to yellow foods.

Catherine, the server was not wearing gloves, as nothing is touched. They use a scoop to fill the bags.

Saskmommyof2, I also found several references to this on the Internet. (The fact that they describe tartrazine as a "natural colour" makes it all good, doesn't it!)

For this reason, I wished the dr. would have suggested an aspirin challenge, just to rule it out.

Saskmommy, can you tell me the title and author of the book you are reading?

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

The book I am reading is called "Allergies...diseases in disguise" by Carolee Bateson-Koch ND available at alivepublishing.com or 1-800-661-0303

The book is from a naturopathic point of view. I started reading it because I was interested in what a naturopath would have to say. Actually I found it very interesting, and the majority of the book was ALL NUTRITION and the role key nutrients, probiotics and enzymes play in allergy. It also discussed at great length candida (yeast) overgrowth in the body stressing the immune system...and how probiotics help suppress the overgrowth of yeast. That goes right along with the hygene hypothesis. Too little beneficial bacteria = too much yeast (yeast is always present, but overgrows when beneficial bacteria is not competeing for food).

Would you believe food coloring is actually ILLEGAL in a few european countries (denmark, sweden, norway and others).

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